Rotary Compaction Tool

ABSTRACT

A method for placing a piece of composite material onto a substrate. The piece of composite material is placed on the substrate with using an end effector. The piece of composite material is held against the substrate using the end effector. The piece of the composite material is compacted against the substrate while also holding the piece of composite material against the substrate using the end effector.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/692,939, attorney docket number 17-0634-US-NP, entitled “RotaryCompaction Tool,” and filed Aug. 31, 2017, which is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION 1. Field

The present disclosure relates generally to manufacturing compositeparts and, in particular, to a method and apparatus for compactingcomposite materials in a process for manufacturing composite parts.

2. Background

In manufacturing composite structures, layers of composite material maybe laid up on a tool. The layers of composite material may be comprisedof fibers in sheets. These sheets may take the form of, for example,without limitation, fabrics, tape, tows, or other suitableconfigurations for the sheets. In some cases, resin may be infused orpre-impregnated into the sheets. These types of sheets are commonlyreferred to as prepreg.

Currently, devices for placing tape, such as a graphite tape, havedifficulty in picking up and placing the tape. For example, currentlyavailable devices for placing tape have difficulty in maintaining theposition of the tape after placement of the tape on a multilayermaterial such as a charge. When laying up a graphite tape to form amultilayer material, it is desirable to chill the graphite tape whilethe graphite tape is being cut to avoid the buildup of resin on theblade.

The colder temperature, however, makes keeping the graphite tape in thedesired position on the multilayer material more difficult. In otherwords, the graphite tape may not adhere as desired at the coldertemperature. It is also desirable to heat the graphite tape so that whenplaced on the charge, the graphite tape will adhere to previous layersin charge. Having both hot and cold temperatures at the same time isunfeasible.

Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus thattake into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as wellas other possible issues. For example, it would be desirable to have amethod and apparatus that overcome a technical problem with laying uplayers in the multilayer material.

SUMMARY

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for placing apiece of composite material onto a substrate. The piece of compositematerial is placed on the substrate using an end effector. The piece ofcomposite material is held against the substrate using the end effector.The piece of the composite material is compacted against the substratewhile also holding the piece of composite material against the substrateusing the end effector.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides an end effector.The end effector comprises a rotary actuator that is rotatable about anaxis, a force transfer system that is rotatably connected to the rotaryactuator in which the force transfer system is rotatable by the rotaryactuator, and a flexible membrane connected to the rotary actuator inwhich the flexible membrane does not rotate and the flexible membranehas an engagement surface that is configured to contact a multilayermaterial and the force transfer system.

Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method forcompacting a multilayer material. A rotary actuator in an end effectoris moved along an axis towards the multilayer material such that aflexible membrane connected to the rotary actuator contacts themultilayer material at an engagement surface of the flexible membrane inwhich the flexible membrane does not rotate. A force is applied on theflexible membrane using a force transfer system in the end effector thatis rotatably connected to the rotary actuator. The force transfer systemis rotated about the axis by the rotary actuator such that the forcetransfer system causes the flexible membrane to deform and compact themultilayer material using a sweeping motion while holding a piece ofcomposite material in place.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a manufacturingsystem. The manufacturing system comprises a robot, an end effector, anda controller. The controller is configured to control the robot to movethe end effector to pick up a piece of composite material from a sourceof composite material using the end effector. The controller then movesthe piece on a path to a tool using the end effector, and place thepiece on the tool such that the piece is compacted while stationary on amultilayer material laid up on the tool using the end effector.

Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure provides an endeffector. The end effector comprises a rotary actuator, a force transfersystem, a flexible membrane, a biasing system, and a vacuum cup. Therotary actuator is rotatable about an axis and moveable along the axisin a linear direction in which the rotary actuator comprises a shaftextending along the axis, wherein the shaft does not rotate duringoperation of the rotary actuator. The rotary actuator also comprises animpeller that is translatable along the shaft. The rotary actuator yetalso comprises a body moveably connected to the shaft, wherein the bodyis rotatable about the axis and moveable along the axis. The rotaryactuator also comprises a flange extending from the body, wherein balltransfer units in the force transfer system are connected to the flangeand in which the rotary actuator rotates about the axis such that theforce transfer system moves in a circular path and deforms an engagementsurface as the rotary actuator rotates. The force transfer system isrotatably connected to the rotary actuator in which the force transfersystem is rotatable by the rotary actuator. The flexible membrane isconnected to the rotary actuator in which the flexible membrane does notrotate and the flexible membrane has the engagement surface that isconfigured to contact a multilayer material and the force transfersystem. The biasing system is operable to bias the rotary actuator alongthe axis towards the multilayer material. The vacuum cup is connected tothe rotary actuator, wherein the vacuum cup applies a vacuum between therotary actuator and a piece of the multilayer material in contact withthe vacuum cup when negative pressure is applied through the vacuum cupin which the flexible membrane extends from the vacuum cup, and in whichthe flexible membrane has a thickness that allows flexing of theflexible membrane by the force transfer system when the rotary actuatoris biased towards the multilayer material such that the engagementsurface of the flexible membrane engages the multilayer material, andwherein the thickness prevents mark-off from occurring on the multilayermaterial, in which a sensor system detects a presence of the piece at asource of composite material and a controller is configured to control arobot to move to pick up the piece from the source of composite materialusing the end effector when the piece is detected. The sensor systemmoves the piece on a path to a tool using the end effector, places thepiece on the tool such that the piece is compacted while stationary onthe multilayer material laid up on the tool using the end effector, andreleases the piece from the end effector after compacting the piece. Thepiece remains in place on the multilayer material.

Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method forplacing a piece of a composite material. The piece of the compositematerial is picked up from a source using an end effector using a vacuumapplied to the piece. The end effector is moved along a path towards amultilayer material with a piece of the multilayer material attached toa flexible membrane in the end effector using the vacuum applied to thepiece of the multilayer material. The piece is placed on the multilayermaterial on a tool. A rotary actuator in the end effector is moved alongan axis towards the multilayer material using a biasing system that isoperable to bias the rotary actuator along the axis towards themultilayer material such that a flexible membrane connected to therotary actuator contacts the multilayer material at an engagementsurface of the flexible membrane in which the flexible membrane does notrotate. The rotary actuator comprises a shaft extending along the axisin which the shaft does not rotate during operation of the rotaryactuator; an impeller that is translatable along the shaft, a bodymoveably connected to the shaft in which the body is rotatable about theaxis and moveable along the axis, and a flange extending from the bodyin which ball transfer units in a force transfer system are connected tothe flange. A force is applied on the flexible membrane using the forcetransfer system in the end effector that is rotatably connected to therotary actuator. The force transfer system is rotated about the axis bythe rotary actuator such that the force transfer system moves in acircular path and causes the flexible membrane to deform and compact themultilayer material with a sweeping motion. The piece from the endeffector is released in which the piece remains in place on themultilayer material.

The features and functions can be achieved independently in variousembodiments of the present disclosure or may be combined in yet otherembodiments in which further details can be seen with reference to thefollowing description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the illustrativeembodiments are set forth in the appended claims. The illustrativeembodiments, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, furtherobjectives and features thereof, will best be understood by reference tothe following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of thepresent disclosure when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a block diagram of a composite structuremanufacturing environment in accordance with an illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a composite structure manufacturingenvironment in accordance with an illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a process for compacting a tape in acomposite structure manufacturing environment in accordance with anillustrative embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a tape on a multilayer material in acomposite structure manufacturing environment in accordance with anillustrative embodiment;

FIG. 5 is an illustration of an end effector in accordance with anillustrative embodiment;

FIG. 6 is an illustration of an exploded view of an end effector inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 7 is an illustration of an end effector in an unbiased position inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 8 is an illustration of an end effector in a biased position inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 9 is an illustration of an end effector in a biased position inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 10 is an illustration of a flowchart of a process for compacting amultilayer material in accordance with an illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 11 is an illustration of a flowchart of a process for placing apiece of composite material on a substrate in accordance with anillustrative embodiment;

FIG. 12 is an illustration of a flowchart of a process for compacting apiece of composite material in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment;

FIG. 13 is an illustration of a block diagram of an aircraftmanufacturing and service method in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment;

FIG. 14 is an illustration of a block diagram of an aircraft in which anillustrative embodiment may be implemented; and

FIG. 15 is an illustration of a block diagram of a product managementsystem in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The illustrative embodiments recognize and take into account one or moredifferent considerations. For example, the illustrative embodimentsrecognize and take into account that trade-offs between heating andchilling a composite material, such as tape, for placement in building amultilayer material, such as a charge, is often undesirable. Forexample, the illustrative embodiments recognize and take into accountthat current solutions rely on manipulating the temperature of the tapeto cause the tape to adhere on demand.

However, the illustrative embodiments recognize and take into accountthat manipulating the temperature is not as efficient as desired. Theillustrative embodiments also recognize and take into account thatcooling graphite tape below the dew point of the environment can causecondensation on the tape, which can make placement and adhesiondifficult. The condensation on the tape is considered a contaminant,resulting in the discarding of the graphite tape.

The illustrative embodiments also recognize and take into account thatchilling the tape to a cool enough temperature for cutting and thenheating the tape to a warm enough temperature for maintaining theposition after placement is unfeasible within a short period of time.The illustrative embodiments recognize that it is not possible to havethe tape be both hot and cold simultaneously. The illustrativeembodiments also recognize and take into account that chilling and thensubsequent heating of the tape may take more time than desired with thespeed that is desired to meet production and other requirements.

The illustrative embodiments also recognize and take into account thatcompaction may be used to cause the tape to stick in the location wherethe tape was placed. The illustrative embodiments recognize and takeinto account that controlling the tackiness of the tape without heatingthe tape may be desirable. The illustrative embodiments recognize andtake into account that compaction may work more efficiently with asweeping motion while the tape is held in the desired location. Theillustrative embodiments recognize and take into account that onesolution is having a device that holds the tape in place whilecompacting with a sweeping motion is currently unavailable.

Thus, the illustrative embodiments provide a method, apparatus, andsystem for compacting a multilayer material. In one illustrativeexample, a rotary actuator in an end effector is moved along an axistowards the multilayer material such that a flexible membrane connectedto the rotary actuator contacts the multilayer material at an engagementsurface of the flexible membrane in which the flexible membrane does notrotate. A force is applied on the flexible membrane using a forcetransfer system in the end effector that is rotatable connected to therotary actuator. The force transfer system is rotated about the axis bythe rotary actuator such that the force transfer system causes theflexible membrane to deform and compact the multilayer material.

With reference now to the figures and, in particular, with reference toFIG. 1, an illustration of a block diagram of a composite structuremanufacturing environment is depicted in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment. In this illustrative example, composite structuremanufacturing environment 100 is an environment in which compositestructures 102 may be manufactured for platform 104. In thisillustrative example, platform 104 takes the form of aircraft 106.

In manufacturing of composite structures 102, layers 108 of compositematerial 110 are laid up on tool 112 to form multilayer material 114. Asdepicted, composite material 110 is fabricated from two or morematerials.

Composite material 110 in this depicted example includes fiberreinforced polymers (FRPs). Fiber reinforced polymers may include carbonfiber reinforced polymer (CFPs), glass fiber reinforced plastic (GRP),or other suitable types of fiber reinforced polymers.

Multilayer material 114 may be a charge or may be cut to form charges.Multilayer material 114 may be shaped and cured to manufacture one ormore of composite structures 102.

The different layers in layers 108 of composite material 110 may becomprised of different types of composite material 110 and may havedifferent orientations with respect to other layers in layers 108. Thedifferent types of composite material 110 may include different types offibers as well as different types of resins and different types ofweaves. These resins may be thermoplastic or thermoset in theillustrative examples. For example, multilayer material 114 may beselected from at least one of a tape, a graphite tape, a glass fibertape, a fabric, a prepreg, or some other suitable type of compositematerial or precursor for forming a composite material.

As used herein, the phrase “at least one of,” when used with a list ofitems, means different combinations of one or more of the listed itemsmay be used, and only one of each item in the list may be needed. Inother words, “at least one of” means any combination of items and numberof items may be used from the list, but not all of the items in the listare required. The item may be a particular object, a thing, or acategory.

For example, without limitation, “at least one of item A, item B, oritem C” may include item A, item A and item B, or item B. This examplealso may include item A, item B, and item C or item B and item C. Ofcourse, any combinations of these items may be present. In someillustrative examples, “at least one of” may be, for example, withoutlimitation, two of item A; one of item B; and ten of item C; four ofitem B and seven of item C; or other suitable combinations.

As depicted, tool 112 may take a number of different forms. For example,tool 112 may be selected from a group comprising a mold, an inner moldline tool, an outer mold line tool, a mandrel, a conveyor belt, a tablefor forming composite charges, a shuttle table, a stationary table, orsome other suitable type of tool on which layers 108 of compositematerial 110 may be laid up in manufacturing of composite structures102.

In this illustrative example, composite manufacturing machine 115operates to form multilayer material 114. Composite manufacturingmachine 115 comprises robot 116 and end effector 118. Robot 116 is apiece of equipment that operates to carry out operations inmanufacturing of composite structures 102. Robot 116 may be programmedto perform one or more operations and may be reprogrammable to changethe types of operations. In some cases, robot 116 may include artificialintelligence processes.

For example, robot 116 may be used to perform operations including atleast one of welding, cutting, installing fasteners, painting,assembling, picking and placing composite materials, inspecting, andother suitable types of operations. Robot 116 may take a number ofdifferent forms. For example, robot 116 may be selected from a groupcomprising a robotic arm, a crawler, a drone, or some other suitableform.

As depicted, robot 116 includes end effector 118. End effector 118 isremovably connected to robot 116. End effector 118 is a device connectedto robot 116. As used herein, a first component “connected to” a secondcomponent means that the first component, end effector 118, can beconnected directly or indirectly to the second component, robot 116. Inother words, additional components may be present between the firstcomponent and the second component.

The first component is considered to be indirectly connected to thesecond component when one or more additional components are presentbetween the two components. When the first component is directlyconnected to the second component, no additional components are presentbetween the two components.

For example, end effector 118 may be located at the end of a roboticarm. As depicted, end effector 118 comprises rotary actuator 120, forcetransfer system 122, biasing system 123, and flexible membrane 124.

As depicted, rotary actuator 120 is rotatable about axis 126. Forcetransfer system is rotatably connected to rotary actuator 120. Forcetransfer system 122 is rotatable by rotary actuator 120 in thisparticular example.

Flexible membrane 124 is connected to rotary actuator 120 in whichflexible membrane 124 does not rotate. In this illustrative example,flexible membrane 124 has engagement surface 128 that is configured tocontact multilayer material 114 and force transfer system 122.

In this illustrative example, rotary actuator 120 includes a number ofdifferent components. As depicted, rotary actuator 120 comprises shaft130, impeller 132, body 134, and flange 136.

As depicted, shaft 130 extends along axis 126. Shaft 130 does not rotateduring operation of rotary actuator 120 in this example. Impeller 132 istranslatable along shaft 130. In other words, impeller 132 may movealong shaft 130.

In this illustrative example, body 134 is moveably connected to shaft130. Body 134 is rotatable about axis 126 and moveable along axis 126.

As illustrated, flange 136 extends from body 134. Force transfer units138 in force transfer system 122 are connected to flange 136.

During operation, rotary actuator 120 rotates about axis 126 such thatforce transfer system 122 moves in circular path 140. As depicted,circular path 140 may result in a sweeping motion of force transferunits 138 and force transfer system 122. Further, during movement offorce transfer system 122 in circular path 140, force transfer system122 deforms engagement surface 128 as rotary actuator 120 rotatescausing force transfer system 122 to move in circular path 140. Thedeformation of engagement surface 128 may result in compaction 141 of atleast one of piece 150 of composite material 110 or multilayer material114.

Further, rotary actuator 120 is moveable along axis 126 in a lineardirection. As depicted, biasing system 123 is operable to bias rotaryactuator 120 along axis 126 towards multilayer material 114.

In the illustrative example, flexible membrane 124 has thickness 142that allows for flexing of flexible membrane 124 by force transfersystem 122 when rotary actuator 120 is biased towards multilayermaterial 114. The flexing caused by force transfer system 122 is suchthat engagement surface 128 of flexible membrane 124 engages multilayermaterial 114.

In this illustrative example, the engagement is such that piece 150 ofcomposite material 110 placed on multilayer material 114 remainsstationary from force applied by flexible membrane 124 using forcetransfer system 122. Further, thickness 142 of flexible membrane 124 isselected to prevent mark-off 143 from occurring on piece 150 andmultilayer material 114.

End effector 118 also may include vacuum system 144. In thisillustrative example, vacuum system 144 causes vacuum 146 between rotaryactuator 120 and multilayer material 114 during operation of rotaryactuator 120. As depicted, vacuum system 144 includes vacuum cup 148which is connected to rotary actuator 120. Vacuum cup 148 applies vacuum146 between rotary actuator 120 and piece 150 of composite material 110in contact with vacuum cup 148 when negative pressure 152 is appliedthrough vacuum cup. Vacuum 146 may be applied through channel 153extending through shaft 130 or from a tube (not shown) connected tovacuum cup 148.

In this illustrative example, flexible membrane 124 extends from vacuumcup 148. Flexible membrane 124 may extend as a flange from vacuum cup148. Flexible membrane 124 may be comprised of the same type of materialas vacuum cup 148 or of a different type material.

In this illustrative example, movement of robot 116 and the control ofend effector 118 may be performed using controller 170 and sensor system172. In the illustrative example, controller 170 and sensor system 172may be associated with robot 116 or may be in a remote location to robot116. In either case, controller 170 is in communication with robot 116and sensor system 172.

When one component is “associated” with another component, theassociation is a physical association. For example, a first component,controller 170 or sensor system 172, may be considered to be physicallyassociated with a second component, robot 116, by at least one of beingsecured to the second component, bonded to the second component, mountedto the second component, welded to the second component, fastened to thesecond component, or connected to the second component in some othersuitable manner. The first component also may be connected to the secondcomponent using a third component. The first component may also beconsidered to be physically associated with the second component bybeing formed as part of the second component, extension of the secondcomponent, or both. As depicted, sensor system 172 is a physicalhardware system that detects information about the environment aroundrobot 116.

As depicted, controller 170 may be implemented in software, hardware,firmware, or a combination thereof. When software is used, theoperations performed by controller 170 may be implemented in programcode configured to run on hardware, such as a processor unit. Whenfirmware is used, the operations performed by controller 170 may beimplemented in program code and data and stored in persistent memory torun on a processor unit. When hardware is employed, the hardware mayinclude circuits that operate to perform the operations in controller170.

In the illustrative examples, the hardware may take a form selected fromat least one of a circuit system, an integrated circuit, an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device, or someother suitable type of hardware configured to perform a number ofoperations. With a programmable logic device, the device may beconfigured to perform the number of operations. The device may bereconfigured at a later time or may be permanently configured to performthe number of operations. Programmable logic devices include, forexample, a programmable logic array, a programmable array logic, a fieldprogrammable logic array, a field programmable gate array, and othersuitable hardware devices. Additionally, the processes may beimplemented in organic components integrated with inorganic componentsand may be comprised entirely of organic components excluding a humanbeing. For example, the processes may be implemented as circuits inorganic semiconductors.

In the illustrative example, controller 170 may be located in computersystem 174. Computer system 174 is a physical hardware system andincludes one or more data processing systems. When more than one dataprocessing system is present, those data processing systems are incommunication with each other using a communications medium. Thecommunications medium may be a network. The data processing systems maybe selected from at least one of a computer, a server computer, atablet, or some other suitable data processing system.

As depicted, end effector 118 on robot 116 moves on path 176 betweensource 178 of composite material 110 for piece 150 and tool 112, wheremultilayer material 114 is being laid up. This movement of end effector118 may occur with robot 116 moving along path 176. In some illustrativeexamples, when robot 116 is an arm, robot 116 moves end effector 118.Source 178 of composite material 110 may take a number of differentforms. For example, source 178 of composite material 110 may be anautomatic feed and cutting device, a tape dispenser, or some othersuitable source.

In this illustrative example, controller 170 controls the movement ofend effector 118 along path 176. Path 176 may be defined in program 180.Program 180 may be, for example, a computer numerical control (CNC)program or some other suitable program code that may be used to controlthe operation of robot 116 and end effector 118.

Path 176 may be a path along which obstacles are unexpected. Forexample, sensor system 172 may detect obstacles, multilayer material 114on tool 112, and other information about composite structuremanufacturing environment 100.

In this illustrative example, sensor system 172 may include a number ofdifferent sensors used by controller 170 to control robot 116 to pick uppiece 150, traverse path 176, and place piece 150 on multilayer material114 laid up on tool 112. For example, sensor system 172 may include atleast one of a camera, an ultrasonic sensor, a vacuum gage, a forcesensing device, a load cell, or other suitable sensors. For example, avacuum gage in sensor system 172 may be used to determine if endeffector 118 has picked up piece 150 from source 178 of compositematerial 110.

In another illustrative example, sensor system 172 may be utilized todetect engagement between engagement surface 128 and multilayer material114 laid up on tool 112. Further, sensor system 172 may be configured todetect the amount of force 182 applied through flexible membrane 124 byforce transfer system 122. For example, force 182 is selected to be fromabout 80 pounds to about 90 pounds for stringers in one illustrativeexample.

In this manner, controller 170 may control robot 116 in laying upmultilayer material 114 on tool 112. For example, controller 170 may beconfigured to control robot 116 to move end effector 118 to pick uppiece 150 from source 178 of composite material 110 using end effector118, move piece 150 to tool 112 using end effector 118, and place piece150 on tool 112 such that piece 150 is compacted while stationary onmultilayer material 114 laid up on tool 112 using end effector 118. Inthe illustrative example, controller 170 controls movement of endeffector 118 connected to robot 116 along path 176 using at least one ofprogram 180 or sensor system 172. In this manner, sensor system 172detects piece 150 when piece 150 is present at source 178 of compositematerial 110, and controller 170 controls movement of end effector 118along path 176 to pick up piece 150, move piece 150 along path 176 totool 112, and place piece 150 on tool 112 using sensor system 172.

In one illustrative example, one or more technical solutions are presentthat overcome a technical problem with laying up layers in themultilayer material. As a result, one or more technical solutions mayprovide a technical effect moving a piece of composite material to thelocation on the multilayer material being laid up. One or more technicalsolutions may also provide a technical effect of applying force to themultilayer material with piece 150 in place to compact multilayermaterial 114. In this manner, the sweeping motion along with force forcompaction may occur with one or more of the technical solutions. Thiscompaction may enable piece 150 to adhere to other pieces in multilayermaterial 114.

For example, end effector 118 may be utilized to place a graphite tapeon a tool with other pieces of graphite tape or layers of constantmaterial to form a charge. End effector 118 also may be used to applyforce to the graphite tape placed on the charge in which the force isapplied with a sweeping motion while holding the graphite tape in astationary position using a vacuum. This force in a sweeping motioncompacts the graphite tape with the other layers in a manner that causesthe graphite tape to adhere to the other layers on the charge. As aresult, the graphite tape may be chilled but placed to adhere to thecharge without heating the graphite tape or the charge. Thus, endeffector 118 may be used to more quickly form a charge for use inmanufacturing of composite structures 102. This type of process may beapplied to any piece of composite material 110 that may be used to formmultilayer material 114 in the illustrative examples.

The illustration of composite structure manufacturing environment 100 inFIG. 1 is not meant to imply physical or architectural limitations tothe manner in which an illustrative embodiment may be implemented. Othercomponents in addition to or in place of the ones illustrated may beused. Some components may be unnecessary. Also, the blocks are presentedto illustrate some functional components. One or more of these blocksmay be combined, divided, or combined and divided into different blockswhen implemented in an illustrative embodiment.

For example, although the illustrative example is described with respectto platform 104 as aircraft 106, another illustrative example may beapplied to other types of platforms. Platform 104 may be, for example, amobile platform, a stationary platform, a land-based structure, anaquatic-based structure, and a space-based structure. More specifically,platform 104 may be a surface ship, a tank, a personnel carrier, atrain, a spacecraft, a space station, a satellite, a submarine, anautomobile, a power plant, a bridge, a dam, a house, a manufacturingfacility, a building, a kitchen sink, and other suitable platforms.

With reference now to FIG. 2, an illustration of a composite structuremanufacturing environment is depicted in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment. Composite structure manufacturing environment 200 is anexample of one physical implementation for composite structuremanufacturing environment 100 shown in block form in FIG. 1.

As depicted, composite structure manufacturing environment 200 includesrobotic arm 202. Robotic arm 202 is an example of one implementation forrobot 116 shown in block form in FIG. 1. In this depicted example, endeffector 204 is a device at the end of robotic arm 202 and may be usedto transport and place tape 206. End effector 204 is an example of animplementation of end effector 118 shown in block form in FIG. 1. Asdepicted, tape 206 is picked up by robotic arm 202 for placement onmultilayer material 208 on tool 210.

Turning next to FIG. 3, an illustration of a process for compacting atape in a composite structure manufacturing environment is depicted inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment. In the illustrativeexamples, the same reference numeral may be used in more than onefigure. This reuse of a reference numeral in different figuresrepresents the same element in the different figures.

As depicted, tape 206 has been placed on multilayer material 208.Robotic arm 202 with end effector 204 compacts tape 206 and multilayermaterial 208 such that tape 206 remains in place

With reference now to FIG. 4, an illustration of a tape on a multilayermaterial in a composite structure manufacturing environment is depictedin accordance with an illustrative embodiment. In this illustrativeexample, robotic arm 202 has released tape 206 from end effector 204. Inthis illustrative example, tape 206 remains on multilayer material 208and is now considered part of multilayer material 208.

With reference next to FIG. 5, an illustration of an end effector isdepicted in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. In this figure,an isometric view of end effector 204 in the direction of lines 5-5 inFIG. 2 is shown. As depicted in this view, coupler 500, adapter plate502, air cylinder 504, rotary actuator 506, and force transfer system508 are shown. These components may be comprised of a number ofdifferent materials. For example, materials may be selected from atleast one of aluminum, a polycarbonate, a plastic, steel, or some othersuitable type of material.

Flexible membrane 510 is shown for end effector 204. As depicted,flexible membrane 510 may be comprised of one or more materials thatallow flexible membrane 510 to flex and be deformed. For example,flexible membrane 510 may be comprised of a number of materials selectedfrom at least one of an elastomer, a polyethelene, nylon, apolyoxymethylene, an acetal homopolymer, a polyurethane, polyester, acomposite material, or some other suitable material.

Air cylinder 504 is an example of a component in biasing system 123shown in block form in FIG. 1. Rotary actuator 506, force transfersystem 508, and flexible membrane 510 are examples of a physicalimplementation for rotary actuator 120, force transfer system 122, andflexible membrane 124 shown in block form in FIG. 1.

As depicted, coupler 500 and adapter plate 502 are structures used toconnect end effector 204 to robotic arm 202 or some other robot. Thesecomponents may be comprised of a number of different materials. Forexample, coupler 500 and adapter plate 502 may be comprised of a numberof materials selected from at least one of metal, ceramic, aluminum, apolycarbonate, a plastic, steel, or some other suitable type ofmaterial.

The application of force to flexible membrane 510 by force transfersystem 508 deforms flexible membrane 510. The deformation compacts amultilayer material (not shown) that may be in contact with flexiblemembrane 510.

With reference next to FIG. 6, an illustration of an exploded view of anend effector is depicted in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.In this figure, an exploded view of end effector 204 in FIG. 5 isdepicted.

In this exploded view, shaft 600 is a structure on which air cylinder504 may travel. Axis 602 extends centrally through shaft 600 and otherportions of end effector 204.

In this illustrative example, slip disks 604 along with air cylinder 504comprise a biasing system. Other components may be used in addition toor in place of slip disks 604. For example, active magnetic bearings andthrust bearings also may be used.

Shaft 608 extends through slip disks 604. Slip disks 604 are moveablealong shaft 608 and bear down on rotary actuator 506 when air cylinder504 is biased in the direction of arrow 606. In the illustrativeexample, a single shaft may be used in place of shaft 600 and shaft 608.

In this depicted example, disk 610, cylinder 612, and disk 614 form body616 for rotary actuator 506. When connected to cylinder 612, circularsection 618 forms flange 619 for rotary actuator 506. As depicted,rotary actuator 506 may move along axis 602 and may rotate about axis602.

In this example, shaft 608 does not rotate. Impeller 620 is connected tocylinder 612 in body 616 by fasteners 626. Impeller 620 is connected toshaft 608 and also does not rotate. The rotation of body 616 may occurthrough the introduction of a liquid into body 616 through port 622 orport 624.

Force transfer units 628 are connected to flange 619. As depicted, forcetransfer units 628 move along circular path 630 when rotary actuator 506rotates about axis 602. In this illustrative example, force transferunits 628 includes spherical balls. In other illustrative examples,force transfer units 628 may utilize tapered rollers, cylinders, orother types of units that may transfer force to flexible membrane 510 asforce transfer units 628 move about circular path 630.

In this illustrative example, vacuum cup 632 is shown with flexiblemembrane 510 extending from vacuum cup 632. Vacuum cup 632 may beconnected to shaft 608.

In FIG. 7, an illustration of an end effector in an unbiased position isdepicted in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. In this figure,an end view of end effector 204 is seen in a direction of lines 7-7 asshown in FIG. 5.

With reference now to FIG. 8, an illustration of an end effector in anunbiased position is depicted in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment. In this figure, a side view of end effector 204 is seen in adirection of lines 8-8 as shown in FIG. 5.

In this depicted example, air cylinder 504 is shown in an unbiasedposition in which air cylinder 504 has not moved to bias rotary actuator506 in the direction of arrow 800. In this unbiased position, forcetransfer system 508 does not apply force to flexible membrane 510. Inthis figure, flexible membrane 510 is in an un-deformed state.

With reference next to FIG. 9, an illustration of an end effector in abiased position is depicted in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment. In this figure, a side view of end effector 204 is seen in adirection of lines 8-8 as shown in FIG. 5.

In this example, air cylinder 504 is shown in a biased position in whichair cylinder 504 has moved in the direction of arrow 800. The movementis such that force is applied to bias rotary actuator 506 by aircylinder 504 via slip disks 604.

In this position, rotary actuator 506 causes force transfer units 628 toapply force on flexible membrane 510. In this figure, flexible membrane510 is in a deformed state. This force may be used to compact amultilayer material (not shown) such that a piece of the multilayermaterial, such as a tape (not shown), will stick or remain in place onthe multilayer material (not shown).

The illustration of end effector 204 in FIGS. 2-9 is presented as onemanner in which end effector 118 shown in block form in FIG. 1 may beimplemented. This illustration is not meant to limit the manner in whichother illustrative examples may be implemented. For example, in anotherillustrative example, a spring, an electrical actuator, or some otherbiasing system may be used in place of or in addition to air cylinder504. Further, air cylinder 504 is a linear biasing system. In otherillustrative examples, a rotary actuator may be used.

Turning next to FIG. 10, an illustration of a flowchart of a process forcompacting a multilayer material is depicted in accordance with anillustrative embodiment. The process depicted in this flowchart may beimplemented in composite structure manufacturing environment 100 usingrobot 116 with end effector 118.

The process begins with robot 116 detecting a presence of piece 150 ofcomposite material 110 being present at a predetermined location knownto robot 116 (operation 1000). In operation 1000, an automatic feed andcutting device may present piece 150 at the predetermined location knownto robot 116. This predetermined location may be a part of programmingfor robot 116. The programming may be, for example, a computer numericcontrol (CNC) program. The detection of the presence of piece 150 may bemade a number of ways. For example, robot 116 may include a camera thatgenerates data used to detect if piece 150 is present. The datagenerated by the camera may be used to finalize the location of thepiece. The piece may not be in the exact same place each time and thecut of the piece also may affect pickup of the piece. In anotherillustrative example, the automatic feeding and cutting device may senda signal to robot 116 indicating that piece 150 is ready to be picked upat the predetermined location.

Robot 116 moves end effector 118 to the predetermined location whenpiece 150 is detected (operation 1002). Additionally, the camera or someother type of vision system may help with finalizing the location of thepiece, in case the piece is in a slightly different location from thepredetermined location. In operation 1002, the movement is along path176. The process uses vacuum cup 148 on end effector 118 to pick uppiece 150 (operation 1004). In this example, piece 150 is held againstflexible membrane 124 when vacuum cup 148 applies the vacuum on piece150.

Robot 116 moves end effector 118 along path 176 towards multilayermaterial 114 on tool 112 with piece 150 of composite material 110attached to flexible membrane 124 in end effector 118 using vacuum 146applied to piece 150 of composite material 110 (operation 1006). Asdepicted in operation 1006, vacuum 146 is applied through vacuum cup148. In this example, end effector 118 holds piece 150 using vacuum 146generated through vacuum system 144 in end effector 118.

Further, in operation 1006, path 176 of robot 116 to the location oftool 112 for the placement of piece 150 on multilayer material 114 maybe programmed for robot 116 using a computer numerical control program.This path may be selected to avoid potential collisions. In anotherillustrative example, sensors may also be present to detect when objectsmay be present in the path.

The process moves rotary actuator 120 in end effector 118 along axis 126towards multilayer material 114 such that flexible membrane 124connected to rotary actuator 120 contacts multilayer material 114 at anengagement surface 128 of flexible membrane 124 (operation 1008). Inoperation 1008, rotary actuator 120 is moved along axis 126 in a lineardirection towards multilayer material 114 using biasing system 123 thatis operable to bias rotary actuator 120 along axis 126 towardsmultilayer material 114. The surface of multilayer material 114 may bedetected, and end effector 118 may be moved without colliding withmultilayer material 114 in a number of different ways. For example, atleast one of a camera, a force sensing device, a load cell, or someother sensor may be used to detect the surface of multilayer material114. In the illustrative example, a computer numeric control program forrobot 116 may be programmed to apply a desired amount of force onmultilayer material 114 laid up on tool 112. The amount of force may bedetected using a sensor in the form of a force sensing device.

The contact with multilayer material 114 may be considered an indirectcontact with piece 150 being located between flexible membrane 124 andthe pieces of multilayer material 114 already laid up on tool 112.

In this illustrative example, this movement results in piece 150 beingplaced on multilayer material 114. Piece 150 is held against engagementsurface 128 of flexible membrane 124 using vacuum system 144 and endeffector 118. Further, flexible membrane 124 does not rotate in thisillustrative example.

The process applies a force on flexible membrane 124 using forcetransfer system 122 in end effector 118 that is rotatably connected torotary actuator 120 (operation 1010).

The process rotates force transfer system 122 about axis 126 usingrotary actuator 120 such that force transfer system 122 causes flexiblemembrane 124 to deform and compact multilayer material 114 using asweeping motion (operation 1012). The rotation of rotary actuator 120about axis 126 causes force transfer system 122 to rotate about axis 126in circular path 140. The process terminates thereafter.

This process may be repeated by placing additional pieces of compositematerial 110 on multilayer material 114. In this manner, a charge, apreform, or some other layup of composite materials may be made for usein manufacturing a composite structure.

With reference to FIG. 11, an illustration of a flowchart of a processfor placing a piece of composite material on a substrate is depicted inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment. The process depicted in thisflowchart may be implemented in composite structure manufacturingenvironment 100 using robot 116 with end effector 118.

The process begins by placing piece 150 of composite material 110 upon asubstrate with end effector 118 (operation 1100). The substrate may betool 112, other layers of multilayer material 114, or some othersuitable type of substrate. The process holds piece 150 of compositematerial 110 against the substrate using end effector 118 (operation1102). The process compacts piece 150 of composite material 110 againstthe substrate while also holding piece 150 of composite material 110against the substrate using end effector 118 (operation 1104).

The process releases piece 150 from end effector 118 after compactingpiece 150 (operation 1106). The process terminated thereafter. Inoperation 1106, piece 150 remains in place on the substrate after beingreleased from end effector 118. When the substrate is multilayermaterial 114 laid up on tool 112, piece 150 is sufficiently tacky fromcompaction and sticks to multilayer material 114.

With reference to FIG. 12, an illustration of a flowchart of a processfor compacting a piece of composite material is depicted in accordancewith an illustrative embodiment. The process in FIG. 12 is an example ofone manner in which operation 1104 in FIG. 11 may be implemented.

The process begins by applying force 182 through piece 150 of compositematerial 110 into a substrate with a sweeping motion (operation 1200).In operation 1200, force 162 is sufficient to compact piece 150 ofcomposite material 110.

The process moves force 182 over piece 150 of composite material 110with a sweeping motion while piece 150 of composite material 110 remainsstationary (operation 1202). The process terminates thereafter. Theforce is applied to piece 150 through flexible membrane 124 afterplacement of piece 150. The material in flexible membrane 124 hasthickness 142 that is thick enough to not leave mark-off 143 on piece150 and multilayer material 114 but thin enough to allow placement ofpiece 150 and then release piece 150 from end effector 118 after piece150 has been placed on multilayer material 114 and after compaction.

The flowcharts and block diagrams in the different depicted embodimentsillustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of somepossible implementations of apparatuses and methods in an illustrativeembodiment. In this regard, each block in the flowcharts or blockdiagrams may represent at least one of a module, a segment, a function,or a portion of an operation or step. For example, one or more of theblocks may be implemented as program code, hardware, or a combination ofthe program code and hardware. When implemented in hardware, thehardware may, for example, take the form of integrated circuits that aremanufactured or configured to perform one or more operations in theflowcharts or block diagrams. When implemented as a combination ofprogram code and hardware, the implementation may take the form offirmware. Each block in the flowcharts or the block diagrams may beimplemented using special purpose hardware systems that perform thedifferent operations or combinations of special purpose hardware andprogram code run by the special purpose hardware.

In some alternative implementations of an illustrative embodiment, thefunction or functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the ordernoted in the figures. For example, in some cases, two blocks shown insuccession may be performed substantially concurrently, or the blocksmay sometimes be performed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. Also, other blocks may be added in addition tothe illustrated blocks in a flowchart or block diagram.

For example, in some cases, placement of pieces of multilayer material114 may have been performed. In this implementation, operation 1000 maybe omitted such that end effector 118 is used for compacting multilayermaterial 114 on tool 112.

Illustrative embodiments of the disclosure may be described in thecontext of aircraft manufacturing and service method 1300 as shown inFIG. 13 and aircraft 1400 as shown in FIG. 14. Turning first to FIG. 13,an illustration of a block diagram of an aircraft manufacturing andservice method is depicted in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment. During pre-production, aircraft manufacturing and servicemethod 1300 may include specification and design 1302 of aircraft 1400in FIG. 14 and material procurement 1304.

During production, component and subassembly manufacturing 1306 andsystem integration 1308 of aircraft 1400 in FIG. 14 takes place.Thereafter, aircraft 1400 in FIG. 14 may go through certification anddelivery 1310 in order to be placed in service 1312. While in service1312 by a customer, aircraft 1400 in FIG. 14 is scheduled for routinemaintenance and service 1314, which may include modification,reconfiguration, refurbishment, and other maintenance or service.

Each of the processes of aircraft manufacturing and service method 1300may be performed or carried out by a system integrator, a third party,an operator, or some combination thereof. In these examples, theoperator may be a customer. For the purposes of this description, asystem integrator may include, without limitation, any number ofaircraft manufacturers and major-system subcontractors; a third partymay include, without limitation, any number of vendors, subcontractors,and suppliers; and an operator may be an airline, a leasing company, amilitary entity, a service organization, and so on.

With reference now to FIG. 14, an illustration of a block diagram of anaircraft is depicted in which an illustrative embodiment may beimplemented. In this example, aircraft 1400 is produced by aircraftmanufacturing and service method 1300 in FIG. 13 and may includeairframe 1402 with plurality of systems 1404 and interior 1406. Examplesof systems 1404 include one or more of propulsion system 1408,electrical system 1410, hydraulic system 1412, and environmental system1414. Any number of other systems may be included. Although an aerospaceexample is shown, different illustrative embodiments may be applied toother industries, such as the automotive industry.

As depicted, robot 116 with end effector 118 may be utilized to formmultilayer material 114 for use in manufacturing composite structures102 for airframe 1402 and interior 1406.

Apparatuses and methods embodied herein may be employed during at leastone of the stages of aircraft manufacturing and service method 1300 inFIG. 13. For example, robot 116 with end effector 118 of FIG. 1 may beutilized in preparing multilayer material 114 of FIG. 1 for use inmanufacturing composite structures wanted to for various components inaircraft 1400.

In one illustrative example, components or subassemblies produced incomponent and subassembly manufacturing 1306 in FIG. 13 may befabricated or manufactured in a manner similar to components orsubassemblies produced while aircraft 1400 is in service 1312 in FIG.13. As yet another example, one or more apparatus embodiments, methodembodiments, or a combination thereof may be utilized during productionstages, such as component and subassembly manufacturing 1306 and systemintegration 1308 in FIG. 13. One or more apparatus embodiments, methodembodiments, or a combination thereof may be utilized while aircraft1400 is in service 1312, during maintenance and service 1314 in FIG. 13,or both.

For example, robot 116 with end effector 118 may be utilized to formmultilayer material 114 for use in manufacturing composite structures102 in component and subassembly manufacturing 1306 in FIG. 13.Additionally, robot 116 with end effector 118 may be utilized to formmultilayer material 114 for use in manufacturing composite parts used asa part of system integration 1308 in FIG. 13. As another example, robot116 with end effector 118 may be utilized to form multilayer material114 for use in manufacturing composite parts that are used duringmaintenance and service 1314 of FIG. 13. The composite partsmanufactured using multilayer material 114 that are processed by robot116 with end effector 118 may be used in at least one of modification,reconfiguration, refurbishment, and other maintenance or service thatoccurs as part of maintenance and service 1314.

The use of a number of the different illustrative embodiments maysubstantially expedite the assembly of aircraft 1400, reduce the cost ofaircraft 1400, or both expedite the assembly of aircraft 1400 and reducethe cost of aircraft 1400. In the illustrative example, robots 116 withend effector 118 may enable forming multilayer material 114 more quicklythan compared to current techniques for forming multilayer material 114.

Turning now to FIG. 15, an illustration of a block diagram of a productmanagement system is depicted in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment. Product management system 1500 is a physical hardwaresystem. In this illustrative example, product management system 1500 mayinclude at least one of manufacturing system 1502 or maintenance system1504.

Manufacturing system 1502 is configured to manufacture products, such asaircraft 1400 in FIG. 14. As depicted, manufacturing system 1502includes manufacturing equipment 1506. Manufacturing equipment 1506includes at least one of fabrication equipment 1508 or assemblyequipment 1510.

Fabrication equipment 1508 is equipment that may be used to fabricatecomponents for parts used to form aircraft 1400. For example,fabrication equipment 1508 may include machines and tools. Thesemachines and tools may be at least one of a drill, a hydraulic press, afurnace, a mold, a composite tape laying machine, a vacuum system, alathe, or other suitable types of equipment. Fabrication equipment 1508may be used to fabricate at least one of metal parts, composite parts,semiconductors, circuits, fasteners, ribs, skin panels, spars, antennas,or other suitable types of parts.

For example, fabrication equipment 1508 may include robot 116 in endeffector 118 for use in forming multilayer material 114. The use of endeffectors such as end effector 118 may reduce the time needed tomanufacture composite parts.

Assembly equipment 1510 is equipment used to assemble parts to formaircraft 1400. In particular, assembly equipment 1510 may be used toassemble components and parts to form aircraft 1400. Assembly equipment1510 also may include machines and tools. These machines and tools maybe at least one of a robotic arm, a crawler, a faster installationsystem, a rail-based drilling system, or a robot. Assembly equipment1510 may be used to assemble parts such as seats, horizontalstabilizers, wings, engines, engine housings, landing gear systems, andother parts for aircraft 1400.

In this illustrative example, maintenance system 1504 includesmaintenance equipment 1512. Maintenance equipment 1512 may include anyequipment needed to perform maintenance on aircraft 1400. Maintenanceequipment 1512 may include tools for performing different operations onparts on aircraft 1400. These operations may include at least one ofdisassembling parts, refurbishing parts, inspecting parts, reworkingparts, manufacturing replacement parts, or other operations forperforming maintenance on aircraft 1400. These operations may be forroutine maintenance, inspections, upgrades, refurbishment, or othertypes of maintenance operations.

In the illustrative example, maintenance equipment 1512 may includeultrasonic inspection devices, x-ray imaging systems, vision systems,drills, crawlers, and other suitable device. In some cases, maintenanceequipment 1512 may include fabrication equipment 1508, assemblyequipment 1510, or both to produce and assemble parts that may be neededfor maintenance.

Product management system 1500 also includes control system 1514.Control system 1514 is a hardware system and may also include softwareor other types of components. Control system 1514 is configured tocontrol the operation of at least one of manufacturing system 1502 ormaintenance system 1504. In particular, control system 1514 may controlthe operation of at least one of fabrication equipment 1508, assemblyequipment 1510, or maintenance equipment 1512.

The hardware in control system 1514 may be using hardware that mayinclude computers, circuits, networks, and other types of equipment. Thecontrol may take the form of direct control of manufacturing equipment1506. For example, robots, computer-controlled machines, and otherequipment may be controlled by control system 1514. In otherillustrative examples, control system 1514 may manage operationsperformed by human operators 1516 in manufacturing or performingmaintenance on aircraft 1400. For example, control system 1514 mayassign tasks, provide instructions, display models, or perform otheroperations to manage operations performed by human operators 1516. Inthese illustrative examples, control system 1514 may manage at least oneof the manufacturing or maintenance of aircraft 1400 in FIG. 14.

In the different illustrative examples, human operators 1516 may operateor interact with at least one of manufacturing equipment 1506,maintenance equipment 1512, or control system 1514. This interaction maybe performed to manufacture aircraft 1400.

Of course, product management system 1500 may be configured to manageother products other than aircraft 1400. Although product managementsystem 1500 has been described with respect to manufacturing in theaerospace industry, product management system 1500 may be configured tomanage products for other industries. For example, product managementsystem 1500 may be configured to manufacture products for the automotiveindustry as well as any other suitable industries.

Thus, the illustrative examples provide a method, apparatus, and systemfor forming multilayer materials for use in manufacturing compositestructures. In one illustrative example, one or more technical solutionsare present that overcome a technical problem with laying up layers inthe multilayer material. As a result, one or more technical solutionsmay provide a technical effect of moving a piece of composite materialto the location on the multilayer material being laid up. One or moretechnical solutions also provide a technical effect of applying force tothe multilayer material with a piece in place to compact the multilayermaterial. In this manner, sweeping motion along with force forcompaction may occur with one or more of the technical solutions.

In one illustrative example, end effector 118 may be used by robot 116to process multilayer material 114. The processing of multilayermaterial 114 may include at least one of laying up pieces ontomultilayer material 114 or compacting multilayer material 114. In oneillustrative example, piece 150 may be placed onto multilayer material114 using end effector 118. Force may be applied to piece 150 onceplaced on multilayer material 114. As depicted, the force may be asweeping motion on piece 150 using force transfer system 122 whileholding piece 150 stationary using vacuum 146. In this manner, piece 150may be caused to adhere to other pieces in multilayer material 114.

The description of the different illustrative embodiments has beenpresented for purposes of illustration and description and is notintended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments in the formdisclosed. The different illustrative examples describe components thatperform actions or operations. In an illustrative embodiment, acomponent may be configured to perform the action or operationdescribed. For example, the component may have a configuration or designfor a structure that provides the component an ability to perform theaction or operation that is described in the illustrative examples asbeing performed by the component.

Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art. Further, different illustrative embodiments mayprovide different features as compared to other desirable embodiments.The embodiment or embodiments selected are chosen and described in orderto best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practicalapplication, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art tounderstand the disclosure for various embodiments with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for placing a piece of compositematerial onto a substrate comprising: placing the piece of compositematerial on the substrate using an end effector; holding the piece ofcomposite material against the substrate using the end effector; andcompacting the piece of composite material against the substrate whilealso holding the piece of composite material against the substrate usingthe end effector.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein compacting the pieceof composite material against the substrate while also holding the pieceof composite material against the substrate using the end effectorcomprises: applying a force through the piece of composite material intothe substrate with a sweeping motion, wherein the force is sufficient tocompact the piece of composite material; and moving the force over thepiece of composite material with the sweeping motion while the piece ofcomposite material remains stationary.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinholding the piece of composite material against the substrate using theend effector comprises: holding the piece of composite material on aflexible membrane in the end effector, wherein the piece of compositematerial is held against the substrate on the flexible membrane.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, wherein compacting the piece of composite materialagainst the substrate while also holding the piece of composite materialagainst the substrate using the end effector comprises: applying a forceon the flexible membrane using a force transfer system in the endeffector that is rotatably connected to a rotary actuator; and rotatingthe force transfer system about an axis by such that the force transfersystem causes the flexible membrane to deform and compact a multilayermaterial in a sweeping motion, while the piece of composite materialremains stationary.
 5. The method of claim 4 further comprising: causinga vacuum between the rotary actuator and the multilayer material using avacuum system.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the multilayer materialis selected from at least one of a tape, a graphite tape, a glass fibertape, a fabric, or a prepreg.
 7. A method for compacting a multilayermaterial, the method comprising: moving a rotary actuator in an endeffector along an axis towards the multilayer material such that aflexible membrane connected to the rotary actuator contacts themultilayer material at an engagement surface of the flexible membrane inwhich the flexible membrane does not rotate; applying a force on theflexible membrane using a force transfer system in the end effector thatis rotatably connected to the rotary actuator; and rotating the forcetransfer system about the axis by the rotary actuator such that theforce transfer system causes the flexible membrane to deform and compactthe multilayer material using a sweeping motion while holding a piece ofcomposite material in place.
 8. The method of claim 7 furthercomprising: detecting a presence of a piece of composite material at apredetermined location; moving the end effector along a path to thepredetermined location when the piece is detected; picking up the pieceusing a vacuum cup on the end effector; and moving the end effectoralong the path towards the multilayer material on a tool with the pieceattached to flexible membrane using a vacuum applied to the piece by thevacuum cup.
 9. The method of claim 7 further comprising: releasing thepiece from the end effector after compacting the piece, wherein thepiece remains in place on the multilayer material.
 10. The method ofclaim 7, wherein rotating the force transfer system about the axis bythe rotary actuator such that the force transfer system causes theflexible membrane to deform and compact the multilayer materialcomprises: rotating the rotary actuator about the axis such that theforce transfer system rotates about the axis to move in a circular pathand deforms the engagement surface as the rotary actuator rotates theforce transfer system such that the piece of composite material iscompacted.
 11. The method of claim 7, wherein the rotary actuatorcomprises a shaft extending along the axis, wherein the shaft does notrotate during operation of the rotary actuator; a body moveablyconnected to the shaft, wherein the body is rotatable about the axis andmoveable along the axis; and a flange extending from the body, whereinforce transfer units in the force transfer system are connected to theflange.
 12. The method of claim 7, wherein moving the rotary actuatoralong the axis towards the multilayer material comprises: moving the endeffector towards the multilayer material with a piece of compositematerial attached to the flexible membrane using a vacuum applied to thepiece of composite material.
 13. The method of claim 7, wherein movingthe rotary actuator along the axis towards the multilayer material alongthe axis in a linear direction comprises: moving the rotary actuatoralong the axis towards the multilayer material along the axis in thelinear direction using a biasing system that is operable to bias therotary actuator along the axis towards the multilayer material.
 14. Themethod of claim 7 further comprising: causing a vacuum between therotary actuator and the multilayer material using a vacuum system. 15.The method of claim 7 further comprising: a vacuum cup, wherein theflexible membrane extends from the vacuum cup such the piece ofcomposite material is held against the flexible membrane when a vacuumis applied using the vacuum cup.
 16. The method of claim 7, wherein theflexible membrane has a thickness that allows flexing of the flexiblemembrane by the force transfer system when the rotary actuator is biasedtowards the multilayer material such that the engagement surface of theflexible membrane engages the multilayer material to hold the piece ofcomposite material against the multilayer material, and wherein thethickness prevents mark-off from occurring on the piece of material. 17.The method of claim 7, wherein the multilayer material is selected fromat least one of a tape, a graphite tape, a glass fiber tape, a fabric,or a prepreg.
 18. A method for placing a piece of a composite material,the method comprising: picking up the piece of the composite materialfrom a source using an end effector using a vacuum applied to the piece;moving the end effector along a path towards a multilayer material witha piece of the multilayer material attached to a flexible membrane inthe end effector using the vacuum applied to the piece of the multilayermaterial; placing the piece on the multilayer material on a tool; movinga rotary actuator in the end effector along an axis towards themultilayer material using a biasing system that is operable to bias therotary actuator along the axis towards the multilayer material such thata flexible membrane connected to the rotary actuator contacts themultilayer material at an engagement surface of the flexible membrane inwhich the flexible membrane does not rotate; the rotary actuatorcomprises a shaft extending along the axis in which the shaft does notrotate during operation of the rotary actuator; an impeller that istranslatable along the shaft; a body moveably connected to the shaft inwhich the body is rotatable about the axis and moveable along the axis;and a flange extending from the body in which ball transfer units in aforce transfer system are connected to the flange; applying a force onthe flexible membrane using the force transfer system in the endeffector that is rotatably connected to the rotary actuator; rotatingthe force transfer system about the axis by the rotary actuator suchthat the force transfer system moves in a circular path and causes theflexible membrane to deform and compact the multilayer material with asweeping motion; and releasing the piece from the end effector in whichthe piece remains in place on the multilayer material.
 19. The method ofclaim 18, wherein the flexible membrane has a thickness that allowsflexing of the flexible membrane by the force transfer system when therotary actuator is biased towards the multilayer material such that theengagement surface of the flexible membrane engages the multilayermaterial to hold the piece of composite material against the multilayermaterial, and wherein the thickness prevents mark-off from occurring onthe piece of material.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein themultilayer material is selected from at least one of a tape, a graphitetape, a glass fiber tape, a fabric, or a prepreg.